Notes

[1]First All-Russia Congress of Soviets of Workers’ and Soldiers’
Deputies was held in Petrograd from June 3 to 24 (June 16 to July
7), 1917. It was attended by more than 1,000 delegates. The
Bolsheviks, who were then in a minority in the Soviets, had 105
delegates. The S.R.s and Mensheviks were in the majority. On the
agenda were the following questions: the attitude to the
Provisional Government, the war, preparations for a Constituent
Assembly, etc. Lenin spoke on the attitude to the Provisional
Government and on the war (see present edition, Vol. 25, pp. 17–28 and
29–42). The Bolsheviks motioned resolutions on all the major
questions. They exposed the imperialist nature of the war, the
danger of conciliation with the bourgeoisie and demanded the transfer
of all power to the Soviets. The Congress decisions supported the
Provisional Government, approved of the offensive then being
prepared for and opposed the transfer of power to the Soviets.
This may be the original plan of Lenin’s speech at the Congress
or of an article which he did not have the time to write.

[2]A reference to the “new”, coalition Provisional Government
which was formed on May 5 (18), 1917, and which began to
function officially the following day. Together with representatives
of the bourgeoisie it included the S.R.s Kerensky and Chernov,
Pereverzev who was close to the S.R.s, the Mensheviks Skobelev
and Tsereteli and the Popular Socialist Peshekhonov.

[3]A conference of members of the Fourth Duma on May 20 (June 2),
1917 decided to support the postponement of the land reform
until the convocation of a Constituent Assembly.

By “Peasant Soviet” is meant the first All-Russia Congress
of Peasants’ Deputies, which under the influence of the S.R.
majority also put off the solution of the land question until the
convocation of a Constituent Assembly.

[4]Chief Land Committee was formed by the bourgeois Provisional
Government in April 1917. On it were the chiefs of the Ministry
of Agriculture and other officials appointed by the government,
representatives of gubernia land committees and political parties.
The Cadets and the S.R.s had an overwhelming majority on it.
Officially, it was the committee’s task to supervise the collection
and processing of material for a land reform. Actually, it was
designed mainly to fight the peasant movement for the take-over
of landed estates. In its declaration on the land question of May
20 (June 2), 1917, it said that no one could solve the land question
until the convocation of a Constituent Assembly. After the
October Revolution, the committee fought against the implementation
of Lenin’s decree on land and was dissolved in December 1917
under a decision of the Council of People’s Commissars.